Chapter 33
I felt a surge of indignation.
“Why? You said I had talent!”
Namgung Jeong also became indignant and shouted.
“Look at yourself! How many times have I taught you this already? By now, you should have memorized all the forms and be practicing variations, yet you keep getting even the basic forms wrong!”
“Whiiine…”
Having nothing to say, I stared into the air.
Actually, the sword technique Namgung Jeong had taught me wasn’t particularly difficult. He said it was a third-rate martial art commonly found on the streets, and true to its reputation, the forms themselves were simple.
It only had three forms, after all, compared to martial arts with thirty-six or seventy-two forms. At first, I thought I would be able to learn it quickly.
However, the more I practiced, the more problems arose.
“Again! Again! I told you to slash in a straight line, not diagonally! Why do you keep doing that?!”
I had started modifying the forms however I pleased.
It wasn’t intentional, actually. My mind kept telling me to do things exactly as I had been taught, but whenever I tried to perform the forms with my body, I would think, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to do it this way?’ and my body would change direction on its own.
Of course, it drove Namgung Jeong crazy.
“How many times have I told you that doing that only exposes openings?!”
“H-But this way feels better for my body. If I do it the way you taught me, the movements become too large, and my body starts to wobble…”
“Are you some Grandmaster? Just because something doesn’t suit you, you’re going to arbitrarily change the forms? If you had the talent of a Grandmaster and could compensate for the flaws in the forms, I wouldn’t say anything. The problem is that you’re turning the forms into a complete mess!”
Things got even worse when I started learning variations.
A variation involved changing the movement midway through a form and using it according to the situation. If used incorrectly, it could expose an opening, so the variations had to be memorized even more precisely. But I simply couldn’t understand the point of this.
I timidly asked,
“Do I really have to memorize even the variations? Can’t I just modify the movements appropriately according to the situation? If even this is fixed as a formula, wouldn’t it be easier for the opponent to respond if they already know the form?”
“Yes, yes. I suppose our great Grandmaster can come up with some ingenious variation other than the one I taught you?”
“I mean, it’s not like that…”
As I scratched my head, Namgung Jeong shouted.
“The variations were created after taking all those variables into consideration. They say that masters who have reached the pinnacle of martial arts can forget the forms and routines and perform them according to the situation, but are you such a master? Stop your chatter and memorize it!”
This situation was repeated at least ten times. Eventually, Namgung Jeong became exhausted.
“This won’t do. Don’t even think about picking up a sword. If you make a mistake, you’ll end up killing some innocent person.”
“I-Is it really that serious…?”
“Do you think I’m joking? Whew, it’s a shame to end things like this… How about learning palm techniques or fist-and-foot techniques instead?”
The palm and fist-and-foot techniques I learned afterward went much better than before.
Since I thought of them as extensions of my own body in the first place, they were easier to control. Even if the direction of a form was slightly off like before, I could quickly correct it. With a sword, if I turned it in the wrong direction, I had to hurry just to pull it back.
Namgung Jeong sincerely lamented.
“What a shame, what a shame! What good is having talent in palm and fist-and-foot techniques? To inherit my legacy, you have to learn the sword. I suppose I’m not fated to have a disciple in this life.”
I felt awkward, but I secretly protested.
“You told me to just learn comfortably… I never said I wanted to become your disciple, did I?”
“Eii, I know, I know! I was just thinking that if you had talent with the sword, I might try to entice you one more time. How could inheriting my legacy not be an honor?!”
“Ah, yes…”
Honestly, it didn’t sound like much of an honor to me, but seeing him looking so dejected made me feel a little sorry for him, so I offered some empty words of consolation.
“Well, surely someday you’ll find a disciple who’s just right for you, Great Hero? You’ll definitely take in a disciple far more outstanding than me, who has no talent.”
“You don’t lack talent, you just… Whew, never mind. Let’s end this conversation here. I’ll teach you just one last thing.”
“Huh? There’s still something you can teach me?”
At my bewildered question, Namgung Jeong grumbled.
“I originally intended to teach you a secret technique I specially devised so that I could take you as my disciple. But that’s also a sword technique, so I suppose that won’t work. Still, after all the time I’ve spent teaching you, I’ll teach you a decent technique. It isn’t a secret technique, though.”
“Really? What is it?”
“A technique you can use when your life is in danger. If used properly, it can not only save your life but also allow you to hold your opponent’s life in your hands…”
Namgung Jeong grinned.
“Gu-Myeong Il-Cho — One Move to Save Your Life.”
***
The so-called Young Master of the Great Thunderblade Sect… or rather, the man who would become its Young Sect Leader, Wang Ju-geon.
He was drinking at a pleasure house in broad daylight.
“Bring me liquor! Liquor…!”
“Oh my, what could have put our handsome Young Sect Leader in such a bad mood?”
Wang Ju-geon scoffed at the courtesan pouring him a drink beside him, while gnashing his teeth.
The reason Wang Ju-geon was in such a terrible mood. It was because of Namgung Jeong, the Young Master of the Namgung Clan, who had appeared several days ago.
‘What’s so great about the Namgung Clan? How dare he…!’
Wang Ju-geon had disliked Namgung Jeong from the very beginning. Ever since he was young, Wang Ju-geon had grown up hearing Namgung Jeong’s name. He was called a prodigy of the sword, a promising young martial artist, and showered with all kinds of praise, crushing Wang Ju-geon’s pride.
He had even interfered with Wang Ju-geon’s affairs. When Wang Ju-geon had tried to teach that insolent servant a lesson at the tavern, Namgung Jeong had recklessly intervened and helped the bastard.
At the time, Wang Ju-geon had no choice but to retreat, but he had been utterly shocked when he later learned that the man in the bamboo hat was Namgung Jeong.
‘They planned the whole thing from the beginning just to humiliate me, those bastards…!’
He had been furious and unable to contain himself, but there was nothing he could do about it.
If Wang Ju-geon made an issue out of his servant being injured, Namgung Jeong would naturally bring up the matter of the Xiao Family’s servant as well. Then what had happened between himself and Miss So would inevitably come to light.
In the end, Wang Ju-geon had no choice but to swallow his anger. However, Namgung Jeong’s tyranny did not end there.
He had been roaming all over the Xiao Family Manor, monopolizing everyone’s attention. Thanks to that, despite being a guest himself, Wang Ju-geon had suddenly become completely ignored.
On top of that, the conversation he had overheard while secretly watching Namgung Jeong together with the Xiao Family Head had been troubling.
“Has Ari’s condition really improved that much?”
“Yes, it truly is fortunate. She hasn’t fully recovered yet, but seeing how much healthier her complexion looks compared to before, I can’t tell you how relieved I am…”
“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful! I should go see her face after all this time. Before, whenever I said I wanted to see her, she would make such a fuss that I couldn’t even bring myself to visit her…”
As if they had known each other for a long time, Namgung Jeong had spoken of wanting to go see her face so familiarly that Wang Ju-geon instinctively realized something.
‘Could it be…?’
Had her future husband already been decided?
Thinking about it, that seemed to be the case. It was widely known throughout society that the bond between the Xiao Family Head and Namgung Jeong was extremely deep. Given how close they were, wouldn’t it be only natural for him to want to marry his daughter to Namgung Jeong?
Then what about Wang Ju-geon?
He had truly become a dog chasing a chicken that had already flown away…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
For a moment, the hypocritical face of the Xiao Family Head, smiling as though he were a good-natured man, and the arrogant face of Namgung Jeong, looking down on him and refusing even to acknowledge him, flashed through Wang Ju-geon’s mind.
But eventually, Wang Ju-geon’s anger turned toward one person. The cause of all this: the insolent woman who had refused to even treat him like a human being.
Xiao Yanli.
‘It’s all because of that bitch. Every bit of it is because of her. If she had accepted me from the beginning, I wouldn’t have had to suffer this humiliation, would I? How dare a mere woman humiliate a real man like me?’
After fuming for a long while, Wang Ju-geon suddenly rolled his eyes and grinned.
‘But that ends now.’
“Did you prepare what I told you about last time?”
The courtesan, understanding what Wang Ju-geon meant, took a small bottle from within her clothes.
There was a clear liquid inside.
“It’s the Monghon Medicine you asked for. Even a small amount will paralyze the entire body and gradually cause the person to lose consciousness. It’s colorless and odorless, so they won’t notice it even if it’s mixed into wine or tea.”
“Good. With this…!”
“Young Sect Leader, may I say something about that matter?”
Wang Ju-geon paused at the courtesan’s sudden interruption. Irritation appeared on his face, but he soon replied in a gentle tone.
“What is it? Go ahead.”
“Rather than doing it immediately after giving her the Monghon Medicine, how about taking her somewhere and hiding for a while?”
“What?”
The courtesan whispered in a sweet voice.
“If you do it right there, wouldn’t it be harder to clean up afterward? And if it were discovered that you used medicine on her, Young Sect Leader, you might be punished.”
“Hmm…”
“So why not hide yourselves first and then light the bridal candles? If you only use a small amount of Monghon Medicine, there won’t be a problem even if you use it several times. If you hide for several days and consummate your relationship as husband and wife, she’ll eventually accept you as her husband.”
“……”
Wang Ju-geon fell into thought for a moment. Certainly, if he caused trouble right there, he might obtain Xiao Yanli, but he would not be able to avoid the wrath of the Xiao Family Head.
In truth, he wasn’t afraid of the Xiao Family Head’s anger, but he was afraid that the Xiao Family Head would tell his father. If his father found out that he had drugged the daughter of the Xiao Family…
‘Yes, that would be better.’
It would be safer to have Xiao Yanli herself say that she had accepted him as her husband.
“Hahahaha, you’re quite clever! But I never told you the details. How did you know so much?”
“There are rumors all over the streets about whom the Young Sect Leader has proposed to. How could I not know? But what a shame. I suppose I won’t be able to attend to such a fine-looking man anymore…”
“Ahem, how can a person live on food alone? One should occasionally enjoy some refreshments as well. Come now, come up here!”
“Eek!”
Laughter never ceased in the pleasure house.
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